Clara Molariou/Legends
Clara Molariou (8 BBY) is the niece of famous assassin Habas Molariou, but she doesn't possess the same unwavering accuracy with a blaster that her relative was known for. Instead, when it comes to blasters, she has become better known for the speed in which she can draw her weapon, often giving her an edge in tight spots. Clara's true skills are in hand-to-hand combat, which are considerable, especially when they make use of her incredible speed. Never a fan of the Empire, Clara joined on with the New Republic through a military academy and was eventually accepted into the 3rd Regiment of the New Republic Special Forces, which specialized in urban combat. She attained considerable accolades but grew tired of taking orders from someone else and decided to take up bounty hunting. Like her uncle, Clara has a strict policy when it comes to taking jobs, and generally tends to only hunt down dangerous criminals or corrupt officials. =Skills= Fighting Styles *'Teräs Käsi' Teräs Käsi was one of the primary styles taught at the military academy Clara attended. It was one of the first styles she learned and is generally the martial art she utilizes most. She is extremely proficient in it and usually practices the moves daily to stay sharp. *'Echani' Clara uses Echani nearly as much as Teräs Käsi, seeing it as a way to cover the weaknesses of the other martial arts style and vice/versa. She has reached the third and final tier of Echani proficiency. Like Teräs Käsi, she practices in Echani daily. *'K'tara' Clara was taught K'tara after joining the New Republic Special Forces so she could know how to dispatch an enemy quickly and quietly. Although not as skilled in this style as Teräs Käsi or Echani, Clara has retained numerous moves from it in case she ever needs to silence someone without making any noise. Weapons *'DL-44 Heavy Blaster' The BlasTech DL-44 is Clara's weapon of choice since it is compact and can do a lot of damage. She is fairly accurate with the weapon and it is never far from her person. Thanks to her military training, she is also skilled in the operation of all manner of other weapons, but rarely uses them unless there's a need her DL-44 can't fulfill on its own. =Personality= While not as impulsive or quick to action as her sister, Clara could never be called subtle. She’s fearless almost to the point of overconfidence, usually willing to take on anyone she meets. Clara tends to be very outspoken in her beliefs and isn’t afraid to tell people what’s on her mind. She also has a strong sense of pride in herself and her abilities, which can sometimes cause her to clash with others. Her years in the New Republic military have tempered her impulsive side somewhat so that she usually tries to come up with a plan before facing an opponent, but that won’t stop her from taking on odds that are stacked against her. Clara’s outlook on life has very few shades of gray as she prefers to label people she meets as either “good” or “evil” though this isn’t always an absolute. While she can be quick to anger and hold a grudge, Clara has also been known to give people chances to redeem themselves in her eyes (usually without telling them). Should they succeed, any past animosity she might have felt towards the person is usually dropped and forgotten. In spite of her rather forceful personality, Clara does have a softer side that she rarely lets other people see. This is mostly apparent when she’s around children, which tends to bring out a more motherly and forgiving attitude in her. Otherwise she only lets her softer side show around family and loved ones – generally when no one else is watching her. Clara has also been known to be much more reserved and demure when placed in situations outside of her comfort zone. Clara's Nicknames One of Clara’s most noticeable quirks is that she tends to call almost everybody she meets by some sort of nickname, whether they like it or not. Friend and foe alike are given equal treatment in this respect. These nicknames can also apply to things other than people. Clara may also occasionally add other nicknames to her existing repertoire for a person, either alternating between them or sticking to the new one. It’s not really clear where she picked this habit up, or why she does it, but Clara usually settles on a nickname for somebody shortly after meeting them. Whenever she’s asked to give a reason for why she does it, Clara simply states that she doesn’t like to explain herself. Clara has also racked up her share of nicknames from other people, which likely is a derivative of her predilection for giving them to others. She was known as Aramo to her beloved uncle, Habas. Her first boyfriend, Tolaris, liked to call her Claire Bear. The members of her squad in the New Republic SpecForce also had a name for her, referring to her as Flare. =History= Early Life Clara Molariou was born in 8 BBY to Rajir and Lena Molariou as the youngest of three siblings. Her two older brothers, who either tended to pick on her for being a girl, or leave her out of their activities for the same reason, forced Clara early on to become assertive and stand up for herself or miss out. By the time she was five, she was proving that she could be competitive with the boys who were one year, and two years, older than her. By the time she was eight, Clara was beating her brothers in most pursuits, including some of the rougher sports. If anything, Clara appeared to be just a little too eager to take on those who were bigger or stronger than her. More so than any other member of the family, Clara was the likely one to come home bruised or bloodied, and sometimes even end up in the hospital with a broken limb. Often times it was through the sports she played and how forcefully she played them, but it also wasn’t unusual for Clara to take it upon herself to challenge a local bully. Remarkably enough, the outcome of these encounters tended to see the bully in worse shape than Clara, even if they were bigger, stronger, and a good deal older than her. As an unintended consequence to Clara’s lifestyle, all of her friends tended to be boys, since she couldn’t relate too much to what other girls her age were doing. For the most part, this didn’t bother her, but there were times when her softer, gentler side would shine through and she found herself missing having a friend who could share these experiences with her without it being awkward. Habas It was while Clara was eight that two events came to pass that would help shape her future career. The first and most notable was the famous Battle of Yavin. When news of the Empire's defeat reached Taanab, Clara discovered that there was an organization out there that fought against injustice and she wanted to be a part of it. When the Battle of Taanab occurred later that year, it only reinforced her desire to join the Rebel Alliance so that she could have the tools to fight not just the Empire, but anyone who trampled on the rights of others. The Battle of Taanab would have a profound effect in another way as well since it would be discovered afterwards that some of the pirates ended up killing the parents her father and her uncle, Habas. Habas had long since been Clara's favorite relative. He was considered to be the kid brother of Clara's father, but all Clara really cared about at the time was how cool she considered him to be. She was always fascinated by his unwavering accuracy with blaster rifles. The fact that he was only thirteen years older than she was, which made him more approachable to her, and even more importantly, always took her seriously, were big points in his favor. After Habas left to avenge his parents and took up the position as a professional assassin, he was considered to be the black sheep of the Molariou family. It was something a young Clara never understood since he was only killing "bad" people. With the same determination she applied to anything she considered to be important, Clara was able to stay in touch with her uncle even while the rest of the family shunned him. Though he never said it in words, Clara was sure Habas was grateful to have at least one member of the family still on speaking terms with him. Their correspondence over the years only strengthened the bond Clara felt with her uncle. Farewell to Taanab As Clara grew older, her boyish appearance began to change, much to her dismay, as the physical features she had inherited from her mother gradually took prominence. Although many girls would have considered themselves lucky to develop the way she had, Clara considered it a curse. Most of her guy friends began to treat her differently and she noticed that she was attracting the wrong kind of attention from many other males as well. Her response to this was to get more violent, hoping that it would teach those who couldn’t see past her surface to respect who she was inside. Instead, though, it had the opposite effect of alienating those around her. Clara was accused of many negative traits from her schoolmates, from being a “psycho” to an “ice queen,” and this only caused her to lash out more. When her visits to detention started to become a weekly occurrence, talk began of sending her to military school. Her parents rejected the idea until Clara overheard it being discussed and volunteered to go. As far as she was concerned, it would give her an early start on joining the New Republic military, which had become her ambition since the Battle of Taanab. After a few weeks of deliberation from her parents, Clara was stunned when they revealed that they were going to send her to the prestigious Beruss Military Academy on Corellia. It seemed too good to be true since it should have been out of their price range. However, not being one to question good fortune, Clara didn’t think too much about it; it wouldn’t be until years later that she learned her schooling at Beruss had been funded in large part by her Uncle Habas. As the shuttle took her away from the only home she had ever known, Clara was too excited about her future to look back. Academy Days Initially, Clara faced a lot of unsolicited criticism from the other students about her looks; many feeling that a woman with her inherent beauty didn’t have what it took to be a soldier. It wasn’t just the men either; several of the women recruits voiced the same criticisms. In those early days, students often referred to her as “princess,” and did their best to make her stay as difficult as possible. The hazing Clara received was far more trying than was usual for newcomers for this reason. Clara wasn’t shy about talking back though, and took great delight in meeting and overcoming every obstacle placed before her, no matter how unreasonable it might be. As she progressed in her classes, the general opinion about her rapidly began to change when it became apparent that not only did she have the skills to be a soldier, she had a dedication and will to succeed that put many of the other students to shame. There remained a few students with the diehard opinion that she had no business being at a military academy, but by and large she was soon seen as one of the most gifted recruits at Beruss. Sister Soldier Clara’s rapid ascension towards the head of the class initially put her at odds with the woman who was thought to be the top female recruit at the academy: Isis Sinclair. Isis enjoyed a privileged status at Beruss thanks to the connections her father, Rodrick Sinclair, had as a senator. Despite this, she had proven herself to be a talented individual in her own right who deserved her status as being the best. Clara felt otherwise. Isis had shared the opinion of many that Clara was not fit for military service, and in fact had been more vocal about it than most. Even though Isis was one of the first to reign in her criticisms after it became apparent that Clara was soldier material, Clara had early on singled out Isis as the true spoiled princess at the academy and was determined to knock her off of her throne. The two women clashed often and without mercy, neither one managing to see how alike they truly were. It would take a training exercise, in which the two were put on a team together, for them to see past their differences. Neither woman would allow themselves to come in second and agreed to a truce. By the end of the three-day exercise against the other teams, their team had not only come out on top, but the two had also come to see that they had no reason to be enemies. From this mutual understanding a friendship was soon born. In Isis, Clara had finally found another woman she could relate to. Although there were things Isis did that Clara couldn’t understand, and vice/versa, the two became as close as sisters and were usually inseparable. First Love One other student who really captured Clara’s attention was a man named Tolaris Aldma; considered to be unbeatable when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Clara had already demonstrated a proficiency for hand-to-hand, which improved rapidly during her time at the academy. It didn’t take long until Isis, Tolaris, and a handful of other students were the only ones to hold the distinction of being able to take down Clara in a fair match, but Clara only saw it as a challenge to improve her technique further until she was better than all of them. She trained extensively in her off-time and one-by-one, she was able to defeat the best that the Beruss student body could offer, even Isis. Everyone, that is, except for Tolaris. No matter how hard she tried, Tolaris managed to best her each and every time they faced each other. Clara began to grow angry at him, but more so at herself for not being able to beat him. However, Tolaris did nothing to feed her anger. He was gracious in victory and always faced her with quiet confidence; never treating Clara as though she was below him despite the fact that she always lost and was two years younger than him. Eventually Clara’s anger burned out with successive defeats which forced her to admit to herself that Tolaris simply was better than her. It was a humbling moment in her life, but freeing in its own way as it allowed Clara to see Tolaris as someone other than an obstacle. She took it upon herself to strike up a friendship with him, which at first consisted of friendly matches in their off-time, but soon grew to genuine admiration. In the months that followed, their mutual admiration developed into love. They didn’t end up having much time together before Tolaris graduated with honors from Beruss, but they tried to make the most of it. They vowed to keep in touch until they could be reunited once again and started up a regular correspondence through the holonet. For Clara, getting a message from Tolaris was a special event that she cherished much more deeply than she liked to let on - even to Isis. Other Events War Resumes To be RPed… Serving the Republic Upon graduating with honors from the Beruss Military Academy, Clara applied for Special Forces instruction. After a rigorous examination of her record, she was eventually accepted and spent another year in training. Her first two months were spent at a drop-camp covering the advanced basics, before she spent four more months in specialization training, and finally after completing that, she was selected as a possible candidate for the 3rd Regiment, which handled urban warfare. Clara finished the year undergoing more training which detailed what she’d need to know as a member of the 3rd, before passing with flying colors and being accepted into the regiment. She was a model soldier in most respects; working as a coordinated whole with her fellow soldiers, following orders without question, and, of course, excelling in battle, but even the military couldn’t fully extinguish Clara’s wild streak. She was known to take risks and employ unorthodox strategies to get the better of the enemy. She also fought with a passion that went beyond what was required of a soldier. It was this quality that earned her a nickname from the soldiers within her squad, who thought that since she had such a fiery resolve, the name of ‘Flare’ would be a perfect fit. During the years she served in SpecForce, Clara received many promotions and commendations for her service in the field. She developed a reputation for being able to take on the toughest missions and make them succeed through strategic planning and skilled fighting. Flare Platoon During the Xen’Chi War, Clara eventually made the rank of lieutenant and was given command of her own platoon in the 3rd Regiment. Although platoons were designated numerically, Clara’s soon became unofficially known as Flare Platoon in her honor. Clara wasted no time shaping Flare Platoon into the kind of unit she could serve proudly in. With Clara as its leader, the members of Flare took on many of the distinctions that Clara exhibited. They were known to take on any mission, no matter how crazy or suicidal it seemed, and more to the point, had a knack for completing those missions successfully. It was also an unofficial rule in Flare Platoon that every member had to have a nickname. More often than not, these nicknames were provided by Clara herself, but it wasn’t unusual for other members to provide their own. A New Love While in Flare Platoon, Clara’s attention was soon drawn to a fellow soldier named Sol Rovann, who was, if anything, a complete opposite from Tolaris Aldma. He was brash, boastful, and irreverent. In short, were he in other unit in the New Republic, he probably would have been kicked out years ago. He did, however, have the skills to match his mouth and had a heart of gold underneath his coarse exterior, which made him fit right in with the Flares. Nicknamed Longshot, Sol and Clara were confrontational right from the start, but as missions progressed and both saw the skills of the other, those confrontations became a form of bantering. As their feelings for each other grew, it was Clara who eventually made the first move; blatantly flouting regulations about a superior officer dating a member of the unit. While this could have caused her trouble in peacetime, during the war the high command barely batted an eye. As long as Flare Platoon continued succeeding in their missions, they were prepared to overlook it. Their relationship lasted the last two years of the Xen’Chi War and was defined by the passion of never knowing when the next kiss would be the last. Unfortunately, for Sol, his end was destined to come before the war ended. In the last year of the war as the Xen’Chi were finally being pushed back, Sol took a Srraka Blade to the chest while defending some civilians from a marauding gang of Xen’Chi Chosen. He died a hero, but his death hit Clara hard. The End of the War Sol’s death became the germ of private fear for Clara that any guy she liked would eventually end up dead. As such, she began to close herself off emotionally from the idea of having a relationship with anybody. Outwardly she was still as tough as nails and a caring individual, but the difference was that now she was caring for others, while forsaking her own personal happiness; resigned to the idea that no man she stayed with could survive her kind of lifestyle. At the end of the war, Flare Platoon had served with distinction against the Xen’Chi and Clara herself earned some impressive awards for her achievements in the field, including the Crescent of Valor and the Cross Crosslet. However, with the galaxy safe once more, and Sol’s death still a painful memory, Clara decided that she had had enough of military life. Tired of taking orders, Clara requested to end her commission and was discharged from the field with full honors. Now truly a free agent, she focused on doing what she had always dreamed of doing: following in her famous uncle’s footsteps… A New Career ]] Although Clara planned to mold her life around her uncle’s philosophy of only punishing those that deserved it, she didn’t want to become an assassin. Instead she opted for the life of a bounty hunter, which gave her the option of bringing her target in alive if she so felt like it. Before Clara could begin her new career in earnest, however, she was contacted by Lady Byrana, a Selonian crimelord based on Corellia, who had been both antagonist and ally to her Uncle Habas in years past. Byrana revealed that Habas had purchased a starship for Clara and left it in Byrana’s care until such time as Clara left the service of the New Republic; at which time it was to become hers. Clara was floored at the unexpected gift from her departed uncle and instantly fell in love with the starship, a new [[Vanguard-class Heavy Gunship|''Vanguard-class Heavy Gunship]] the looked to Clara just like some mechanical gunfighter. Curious as to why her uncle had never told her about the ship before, Byrana explained that Habas didn’t want the knowledge of it to interfere with Clara’s dedication to the New Republic, which is why she had been instructed to only tell Clara about it after she left the service. Impressed with the capabilities of the ship, Clara named it the Final Shot as a promise to herself that the ship would be the one to fire the last and final shot to end any battle. With the Final Shot as her center of operations, Clara quickly made a reputation as willing to take on any job as long as the target fit her criteria as being deserving of punishment. She would also occasionally take jobs that fell far below her usual price if she felt the cause was noble enough. Also, unlike her uncle, Clara had no reservations about taking on targets that were women. Clara’s success, however, attracted the attention of another old acquaintance of her uncle’s: the assassin known as Crystala Orailius. Assassin Trouble Coming soon.... Training With A Master Coming soon.... An Understanding Between Enemies Coming soon... Reunion In progress... Category:New Republic Category:Bounty Hunters Category:Halomek Category:New Republic Category:Bounty Hunters Category:Halomek